The Korean War Veterans Project focuses on collecting, preserving, and providing access to the original records, photographs and memorabilia of soldiers who served in the Korean War. The Project promotes the study and understanding of the Korean War and the American soldiers who served in Korea.

Acceptable Materials

TSLA gratefully accepts donations of materials as small as a single item or as large as dozens of boxes. We accept all forms of original material, including personal letters, photographs, diaries, film, audiotapes, slides, negatives, artifacts, and maps.

Donated materials do not have to be in any particular order or condition. Collections do not have to pertain to a famous person, event, or organization. All materials offered as potential donations are subject to review by the TSLA Archives Review Committee. Materials that are not accepted will be returned to the donor upon request.

What Happens to Donated Materials?

All items accepted for donation will be organized, arranged, described and conserved by professional archivists and conservators. This process ensures that these materials are preserved for future generations and made accessible to the public for research.

An archivist assigned to the collection will carefully review the entire contents, making sure to address preservation concerns. Items are cleaned (if necessary) and rehoused in acid-free folders and storage boxes. A finding aid (an inventory of the collection's contents) is created to provide a general overview of the collection as well as biographical information about the donor. This finding aid serves as a road map for researchers using the collection.

All collections are housed in the secure, climate-controlled storage areas of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Archival collections do not circulate and are used under the supervision of archival staff.